


Side Effects

by CuriouslyIndecisive



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 09:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10874265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriouslyIndecisive/pseuds/CuriouslyIndecisive
Summary: Alistair awakens the morning after completing Morrigan's Dark Ritual and discovers Surana's reaction is not what he expected.





	Side Effects

Alistair awoke with a dull headache, a dry throat, and a desperate desire for a bath. The events of the previous night had followed him into his own bed, pulling distorted images of his time with Morrigan into his dreams. He shoved the disturbing thoughts out of his mind as he rolled over, expecting to find Surana; instead he was greeted by an empty pillow. He wondered dejectedly where she’d gone, and how long ago she’d left.

He pushed the covers off and discovered, to his dismay, a smattering of scratches and bruising all over his torso. After inspecting it all and finding nothing that seemed worthy of concern, he sighed heavily and got up to dress himself. He found a maid in the hall and asked her to please fetch him water for a bath, after inquiring as to whether she’d seen Surana this morning. She hadn’t, and Alistair’s feelings of misgiving intensified.

He eased himself into hot water a short time later, not wanting to allow it to cool down very much. He felt as though the kind of filth he had on him could only be removed by scalding it off. He didn’t bother scrubbing specifically at the scratches, much as he wanted to, but instead spent a solid 15 minutes methodically soaping every last inch of himself clean. In addition to his marred torso, he discovered a split in his lip, and what looked an awful lot like teeth marks on his left hand. _You’d think I bloody well went into battle last night_ he thought, as he rinsed off and clambered out of the tub to dry.

Clean and fully dressed, he wandered out into the castle to look for Surana. She was not in her own room, nor was she in the dining hall. He became truly concerned when he did not find her in the library, either. As Alistair wandered back toward the main hall, he saw a few guards coming off duty and asked whether any of them had seen her. “Yes, ser. She’s been sitting by a tree in the courtyard for several hours,” answered one. Alistair thanked him and hurried outside.

He spotted her under the largest tree, her small frame hidden in a shadowy hollow of the trunk. The weak sun of early morning had just begun filtering through the leaves, and tiny spots of light danced around her like fireflies. She was armored, as much as mages ever are, already prepared for the coming battle. To Alistair she looked fragile, soft and delicate as she was, yet he knew that appearance belied the power held within her. Barkspawn lay a few feet away in a sunnier spot, the massive mabari always guarding her, even in the quietest moments. As soon as he spotted Alistair, he let out a single, booming bark and trotted over to say hello.

After attending to the dog, Alistair went and sat beside Surana under the tree. Her face looked sad, her eyes tired, and she seemed embarrassed by his company. He waited a moment, to see if she’d speak first, and she did. She seemed to struggle with the words. “Alistair, I… I’m sorry.”

He was confused. “Sorry, my dear? What for?”

She lifted herself lightly from the tree’s hollow and moved much closer to him, sitting so that their knees touched and they faced each other directly. She studied his face, then furrowed her brow and lifted a hand to gently touch his lip. Her expression shifted to one of surprise, and then anger. “You’re hurt,” she said softly. “Did she harm you anywhere else?”

“Only my pride,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood, “but there’s not much of that for her to damage, is there?” By now she was inspecting him. She looked at his face, his hands, his neck. She carefully pulled up the hem of his shirt and looked at his abdomen. The anger in her eyes flared hotter at the discovery of each small injury. She returned her gaze to his lip.

“She bit you,” Surana spat.

“Well, yes, but- hey!” Alistair shouted.

Surana stood up in a flash and turned toward the castle, her purposeful stride implying nothing good for Morrigan. The magic he could already see crackling around her hands only added to the intimidating effect. He caught up to her at the main doors and took her by an arm, firmly but gently holding her back. “You don’t really want to hurt her,” he advised. “She is your friend, after all.”

“She is _nothing_ of the sort!” Surana screamed, yanking her arm away from him. “There is no reason for what happened to involve… damage! She had no call to handle you roughly! If we were friends she’d have taken care to be gentle.”

“It’s Morrigan,” Alistair replied in a whisper. “When is she ever gentle? And… if we really need to discuss this further, my dear, could we please do it a bit quieter?”

Surana flushed deep crimson as she glanced around at the castle guards, all of them quickly, and sheepishly, looking away. Surely her shouting rang off the stone of the courtyard - they’d all heard. “Wonderful,” she breathed, disgustedly. “Now I’ve not only subjected you to Morrigan’s… ministrations, but I’ve embarrassed you by letting the whole guard know about it. The sun’s barely up and I’m on a roll.” She shook her head and wandered, downcast, back to the tree.

Alistair followed with some distance, at a loss for what to do. He’d hardly ever seen her angry, let alone enraged as she seemed to be now. And that was only the dominant emotion. There seemed to be healthy doses of misery and disgust as well. He noticed Barkspawn walking beside him, whining softly.

Upon returning to the tree, he sat back down in front of her, their knees touching once again, and took one of her hands in his. When she looked up at him, he was dismayed to see the tears running down her face. He palmed her cheek and lightly brushed them away with a thumb. “Tell me how to help, and I will. What can I do?” he asked.

“No, you’ve done too much already. And it’s my fault. She came to me as a friend, she said she wanted to help. She knew I wouldn’t… _couldn’t_ refuse a way to save you, to save us. But at what cost? She’s hurt you, and I didn’t even bother to think about what _you_ might feel afterward. You hate her and I asked you to… to-,” Surana’s voice broke. “And that’s to say nothing of what might become of the child…”

Alistair looked at her, pitiful and guilty as she was, and realized he’d never loved her more than in that moment. She doubted whether the decision she’d made was the right one; a decision she made because of her love for him. “Do you think you’re the only one responsible?” he asked. “You came to me with a way for both of us to make it through today. It was my choice to make, you didn’t force me to it. And it was an easy one - sleep with Morrigan, or face the likely possibility that we’d lose each other? It’s clear which option is better. I love you. I would do anything to see you safe and to stay with you. I’d make the same choice again if I had to, _every_ time. I wouldn’t let the Maker himself pull us apart, let alone some swoopy Witch of the Wilds.”

He spoke slowly, chose his words carefully. He watched the tears stop and her breathing grow calm. His heart leapt at the way her face lit up when he said he loved her. Alistair blotted away the last of her tears with his sleeve and gently pulled Surana into his arms. They held each other, hearts close together, and waited for what was to come.


End file.
